Pendulum of Possibility – The Power of Being Decisive

What is the most valuable commodity we all share? I ask this question at the outset of each of my presentations be it a team leading focus project or a career transitions initiative. Some say its health, some say its family and friends.

Both are great answers but at the end of the day the most valuable commodity we all share is time. Our time…my time, your time…time! How do you choose to spend your time? What do you want to accomplish with the time you have? Do you live in the moment? Do you live looking back through your rear view mirror wishing you had done something different when you had the chance? Do you spend your time convinced that time is on your side and that what can get done today can wait until tomorrow?

Knowing we have no guaranteed allotment of time it would make sense that we do our best to draw as much out of the time we do have but as you know it just doesn’t happen that way. As a result, far too many people look back on the things they wished they had done than the things they did accomplish. We spend a lot of time idolizing others believing that when they were born, the clouds opened up and a higher power simply declared them as destined for greatness but it just doesn’t work that way. A decision is made followed by another and another. I doesn’t matter if its a Fortune 500 executive, a left-handed pitcher for the New York Yankees or the first violinist in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. A decision to be great is made and that decision is made knowing that other great decisions moving forward are required.

The reality is the Pendulum of Possibility is constantly in motion. For every decision you make be it a pro-active decision or an inactive one…a decision is being made and a navigational change occurs.

Dr. Sharon Melnick touches on this very foundation of thought in her Build Fast Confidence YouTube video. Build Fast Confidence – Dr. Sharon Melnick . I really enjoyed the assertion that we have on average 60,000 thoughts per day and that a shift in how we recognize and respond to those thoughts can act as a vehicle of positive change.

As a former professional athlete I learned that an “in the now” awareness was key to any and all success. Each and every play on the football field represented a potential transitional moment. The game could turn in a direction each and every time the football was snapped. When things go awry the entire focus cannot be on the play that went south because there is nothing you can do about it. The focus turns on getting back on track. The focus turns on a conscious navigational decision that gets you back on course. It doesn’t have to be a complete overhaul of the playbook but rather a simple decision to let go of the negative and make positive decision making a habit forming skill.

Time is only on your side when you do all that you can to control it. It can be your moment but ownership can be fleeting if you are not consistent in your decision making. By being consistent you can define and re-define who you are and the direction of your journey.